Harry Potter and the New Beginnings
by a-ghoul-who-loves-books
Summary: Harry Potter knows he is different. But he can't quite put his finger on how. Then he is accepted into Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he finally knows where he belongs. But it seems as if not everyone is as nice as they seem in the new reality.
1. Ch1 - The boy who did not care

_Hey everyone so this is my first published fanfiction. I have attempted to write others but I haven't gotten very far yet whereas this idea really seems to flow smoothly. Feel free to flame the story all you want because even though I am only in the first chapter I've probably already made some major mistakes. I don't mind about reviews but if you seen any major plot line holes or spelling mistakes I haven't picked up on I would really appreciate if you could point them out to me. Anyway enjoy the story, I have big plans for this and if I decide to abandon it (Which I will not) I will let you lot know. Also Harry Potter does not belong to me. If it did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it. (or would I?)_

 _Arigato!_

\- Tayla Jane

* * *

Harry Potter had always thought that he was different from other people. He was only a small boy, 10 years old with green eyes and unruly hair that never seemed to stay down. Appearance wise, he was the same as everyone else. But he felt as if something was missing from his life, and he could never quite put his finger on what it was.

His relatives were different too, but not in the same way he was. They were nasty people and liked tormenting him for no apparent reason other than he was there.

His Aunt Petunia said that he was the most foul child she had ever met, while Uncle Vernon liked to bully Harry by making him do the most demeaning housework. In the Dursley household he was treated as nothing more than an inconvenience and Harry knew it. Not that he put up with it anyhow.

Harry was startled out of his dream by a loud thumping above the stairs. It sounded as if someone rather heavy was jumping up and down on the stairs. Which was exactly what was happening.

"HARRY GET UP YOU SLOWPOKE, I'M HUNGRY!" Dudley all but shouted through the thick wood. Harry scowled at his ceiling.

One of these days.

"Do it yourself." He muttered to himself. He wasn't expecting an answer so when a voice came from the grill of his door he started, surprised.

"But I don't know how to cook bacon," Dudley whined "And Mother won't even let me touch the burner in case I hurt myself."

Even through the grill Harry could see Dudley pouting. Harry rolled his eyes at the stupid expression on his cousin's face.

"Fine, but if you annoy me anymore," he said. "You're going to end up with a black breakfast."

Dudley grinned, happy that he had somewhat got his way. He moved away from the door and started to head into the kitchen.

Harry watched his back for a moment before sighing to himself. ' _Honestly_ ,' he thought.

"Dudley," Harry called through the grill. "Forgetting something?"

Dudley turned and appraised Harry's cupboard. His face squashed into something looking like an overfed pig as he tried to remember what he had forgotten. It took him several seconds for it to clear up. Understanding crossed his face and the back of his neck turned purple when he realised.

"Er, sorry Harry." He muttered while making he way back to the cupboard.

He grabbed the lanyard from the outside of the door and began to unlock all three locks on the cupboard door. Meanwhile Harry hurriedly got dressed and attempted to pat down his unruly hair. As usual it completely ignored him and proceeded to stick up in all directions. He gave up fairly quickly.

When Dudley had finally unlocked the door he forcefully shoved it open ignored the squawk of protest from Dudley who was directly on the other side. From the heavy thump and the moan of pain Harry guessed that Dudley hadn't moved in time. He grinned and pushed the door fully open. It revealed a rather large boy spread out on the floor.

"Looks like I got you again Duds." Harry said while stepping over the moaning form. An incomprehensible mutter came from the still grumbling boy. Harry's grinned widened and he left Dudley where he was, heading into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were awake. Harry noted Petunia's arrival by the high pitched voice coming from the hallway.

"Oh my sweet Duddles!" the high pitched voice said, "What ever happened to you?"

Harry tensed and took his attention off of the bacon to listen in to their conversation.

"Er...um...I just tripped." Harry heard Dudley mutter. Petunia was obviously fooled by the lie as she began to fuss over the chubby boy, leading him into the living room. Harry could still hear her fussing of him through the walls. Obviously Vernon could hear the fuss too as Harry heard a stern voice booming through the house.

"Petunia, woman!" He said "Leave Dudley alone, he needs to man up and not be coddled by you." Harry could hear Petunia's tone turn frosty.

"Well I'm sorry that I love my child, Vernon." She said icily. They obviously weren't paying any attention to Dudley anymore as he quickly hurried into the kitchen and shut the door behind him. From the relived look on his face Harry guessed that Dudley had not been expecting his sucking up to Petunia would backlash on him.

"Looks like they've started early today," Harry blandly said to Dudley as he wandered over to the kitchen.

"Yeah," answered Dudley. "I wonder if-hey you're burning the bacon!"

Harry turned back to see the bacon starting to go black around the edges. He swore and tackled it with the spatula, trying to save what he could. The result was a most being unburnt with a few pieces either slightly burnt or black.

"Whoops." Harry muttered, annoyed at himself for not paying better attention.

Dudley eyed the burnt bacon sadly before devouring the unburnt bits, leaving half for his father.

Halfway through Dudley seemed to perk up. He turned to Harry with his mouth full.

"Hhey gwuess wat?" He said trying to speak around his full mouth. He swallowed and started grinning. "This means you owe me one."

Harry grimaced as he remembered their bet from the night before. He glared at Dudley before a calm expression spread over his face.

"You were technically cheating," Harry commented. He turned back to the breakfast he was preparing while Dudley continued stuffing his face.

"All's fair in war," Dudley said wisely. Before ruining the effect by shoving the last piece of bacon in his already full mouth.

Harry sighed angrily but conceded. He would just have to beat Dudley in the next round.

As they stopped talking they noticed the living room had fallen silent. Dudley turned purple and turned back to his plate completely ignoring his cousin. Harry continued to prepare the rest of his relative's breakfast.

Vernon waddled into the kitchen a few seconds later. His already foul mood turned even worse as he spotted Harry calmly cooking breakfast.

"BOY!" He half roared at the small ten year old. "Where is my damn breakfast!?"

Harry turned. "I'm just finishing up now, Uncle." He said calmly. Harry's calm tone only infuriated Vernon even more.

"STUPID BOY!" He yelled moving forward at the same time. When Harry tried to respond Vernon swung his arm around and boxed Harry in the side of the head with considerable force.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME YOU FILTH!" He continued yelling, ignoring the way Harry was thrown into the bench narrowly missing the still going burner. His ear began to bleed profusely but Vernon wasn't finished with him yet.

"YOU WILL SHOW RESPECT TO ME AM I CLEAR RUNT!?" He yelled at a loud enough volume to wake the whole neighborhood. From the way Petunia came running in it had clearly had been too loud for her nerves.

"QUIET DOWN WILL YOU, YOU'RE GOING TO WAKE UP THE NEIGHBOURS!" She yelled at him with the same volume.

"WELL I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE NEIGHBOURS WOMAN!" Vernon yelled back at her.

Vernon and Petunia continued to yell back and forth at each other although at a more subdued volume. They didn't notice how Harry picked himself up slowly and then left the room with a blank look on his face. Dudley took one look at his still arguing parents before following Harry out to his cupboard. He found Harry patching up the bleeding wound from the med kit kept in the hallway. The wound on the side of his head was beginning to look more serious by the minute.

"Are you alright Harry?" Dudley said worriedly, glancing back at the kitchen door.

"Yeah, I think that my ear just got a bit ripped." Harry said nonchalantly. Ignored the strangled gasp coming from his cousin.

"But Harry we need to get you to the hospital!" Dudley exclaimed.

Harry turned to Dudley and eyed the worried expression.

"Nonsense," he said. "It will heal quickly so there's no point anyway."

Which was true, Harry had a recovery time like no other. It was almost like magic. Joining his recovery time with his high pain tolerance he was the perfect punching bag for his Uncle Vernon's anger.

"But Harry!" Dudley started. Harry cut him off.

"Shut up!" Harry whisper yelled, not wanting to catch the attention of his still yelling Aunt and Uncle. Not that they would be able to hear him over each other anyway.

"I don't need you butting in to help me, you'll only get hurt yourself!" With the last word he roughly forced the door of his cupboard open and shuffled inside. Ignoring all of Dudley's protests he shut the door behind him.

Harry could still hear the yelling of his relatives from the kitchen and sense the presence of Dudley outside of his door. But inside his cupboard he was safe, safe from all the bastards who liked to hurt him.


	2. Ch2 - A snake talks

_This update came rather quickly as I have so many ideas going at the moment. Thank you Emily for motivating me, if I fail Year 12. I'm blaming you. ;D_

 _Anyway enjoy this longer chapter. And I don't own anything, unfortunately._

 _*updated*_

 _I changed a little bit, sorry. Also..._

"Regular speech"

 _'Paseltongue **'**_

 **Thoughts**

\- Tayla Jane

* * *

Harry managed to avoid his relatives for most of the day. It was fairly easy, all he had to do was sneak out the back door and he was free. He only went back at around lunchtime because he would be punished even worse than that morning if he didn't finished his chores in time. He also hadn't eaten breakfast due to the hasty exit in the morning so he was rather hungry.

Thankfully when he arrived back, Vernon had left. Gone to the pub or the pokies from the way Petunia was acting. Most of the chores were easy for Harry. He had been doing the same menial work for as long as he could walk and talk. He was practically the Dursley's slave.

The afternoon was slow. He had been ordered by Petunia to mow the lawn but recently the lawn mower had spectacularly caught on fire while Vernon was using it. Harry had been blamed for the incident, even though he had been inside at the time and hadn't even touched the lawn mower in weeks.

Vernon had refused to buy a new one, saying that 'the stupid boy can use the push mower, 'It's about time he put some effort into something.'

It took three times the usual length to mow the lawn. Dudley came home from school about an hour in. He looked as if he wanted to say something to Harry but then Petunia came back outside and hurried Dudley in, glaring at Harry all the while.

Harry didn't take any notice of the glares directed at him, he was used to them.

It was late in the afternoon when Harry finally finished his chores. Luckily Vernon hadn't arrived yet so Harry was able to get in a spare moment reading the paper on the couch while Petunia was in the other room. It wasn't long after, when Vernon announced his arrival at the door.

"Petunia darling," he almost sang. "I'm home!"

Harry almost bounced off of the couch and dove behind one of the couches just in time. Barely half a second later Vernon opened the door to the living room and poked his overly large head in. He surveyed the room, his eyes passed over Harry and for a moment seemed to linger there. But they glazed over and he left without noticing the hiding boy barely a meter away from him.

Harry sighed in relief. It wasn't that he was scared of his Uncle. Not even close. He just couldn't afford to get anymore injuries as his ear was causing him more problems than he could deal with at the moment. A headache had sprung up sometime during the afternoon and it was not going away. Even after Harry had snitched a couple of Panadol from the kitchen cupboard.

He slowly made his way out from behind the couch, taking care not to make to any noise to alert his Uncle where he was. He tiptoed his way over to the door and gingerly opened it. He stuck his head round the edge expecting the worse but luckily Vernon had already headed into the kitchen. Harry sighed and pulled the door open. He quickly made his way back into his cupboard. It wouldn't be long before Vernon headed back to the living room for the nightly rugby games that he tended to watch. And Harry did not want to be stuck behind the couch for hours on end listening to rugby. It had happened before and he was not eager to repeat the experience.

Through the walls Harry could hear the conversation going on between Vernon and his wife. He wasn't particularly interested in their conversation but it was something to do and Harry wanted to know why Vernon had been singing in his awful voice while coming inside that day.

"-won a fair bit today-" Harry heard Vernon say. He had to press his ear against the wall to be able to hear them properly.

"How much?" Petunia replied, her voice betrayed her excitement.

"$200 or something," said Vernon. A squeal interrupted whatever else Vernon was going to say.

"Vernon why don't we take Duddles out for his birthday tomorrow." She asked. There was a pause in the conversation where they were talking too quietly for Harry to be able to make out the words. He wasn't really listening anyway as his stomach had suck through the floor. Harry groaned in disappointment. 'Well tomorrow going to be a waste of my time,' he thought. 'I'm not even going to be allowed outside.'

He sighed again and laid back on his small bed, not listening in on his relatives anymore. He stared blankly up at the dusty ceiling. A single spider web covered the entire left half of the ceiling. It look abandoned, not that Harry minded. He didn't like sharing his space with anyone, not even a spider.

Harry had very few possessions. Last year he had more, but Vernon had gone into one of his drunken rages. He had tried to drag Harry out of his cupboard by his feet and when Harry had resisted he had been beaten black and blue. Nearly everything he owned had been burned that night. Apart from the clothes on his back and whatever he had managed to grab while begin dragged out.

The lesson he had learnt was not to care about anything. Not when all of it could be taken away from you at a moment's notice.

He didn't bother to head out for dinner. Even from under his covers Harry could hear Vernon already yelling. Something about rugby and bastards. Harry just tucked his thin blanket over his head and vainly tried to ignore the noise. So he could get some decent sleep before the hell that was tomorrow.

Dudley's birthdays were always the worst. Vernon would be unusually nice to his son while he would treat Harry as if he was something disgusting stuck on the bottom of his shoe. Petunia would be much the same. Harry would be lucky if he only got out with one or two injuries that year. Dudley couldn't even try to intervene or his 'special' day would come crashing down around him.

Dudley had tried to stop the violence once. He had ended with a broken leg for his trouble. It was on that birthday, Dudley's 9th. That they had come up with a plan. If Vernon could see Harry being bullied by Dudley, then maybe that would be enough. But Dudley hadn't even had the chance to help Harry that morning. Vernon had been on him within seconds of him walking in.

Harry ignored the world and drifted off to sleep.

He woke slowly.

It took several seconds for Harry to realise what was wrong. The house was silent around him. Not even the usual snoring could be heard. Harry quickly lifted himself off of his bed and leaned over to the grill in his door. He peeped through but from his limited view he could confirm anything. As he was stepping back he bumped something, making it clatter across the floor.

A look downwards revealed a Tupperware container with a note taped to the top of it. Whatever was inside of it was so shakily made that Harry could hardly tell what it was. Probably made by Dudley then.

Harry opening the note and read it carefully. The letters were shaky as if they had been written in a hurry.

'Harry,

Father was in such a bad mood this morning that I asked if we could just leave without you. We're going to the zoo because Father says there's been an incident with the glass cage of the boa constrictor. Hopefully we'll be heading to breakfast afterwards.'

Harry rolled his eyes at his cousin's words. Dudley never stopped wanted to eat. He focused back on the letter.

'Sorry about the quality of the food in the container, it was the best I could do. And I really mean it. That was my second attempt and the first was rather black.

We should be home around 4 but expect earlier.

Dudley'

Harry place the letter on his bed and picked up the container. What was inside looked something like a scrambled egg on soggy bread. Except there were pieces of eggshell in it, and something green.

Harry scrunched up his nose. He didn't really want to risk it, but he hadn't eaten anything last night before and probably wouldn't get anything unlike that night.

He tried a bit, avoiding the eggshells and the green bits like the plague. It wasn't too bad, kind of flavorless. Considering some of Dudley's other creations it was practically divine.

'4 huh.' Harry thought. 'That means I have...' Harry glanced at his watch. It was old and battered but he liked it. It was Dudley's old one but it had been given to Harry on one of his birthdays. Not that Vernon and Petunia even knew.

The time read 12. Harry couldn't suppress the surprise from spreading across his face, this was the first time he had ever slept in. Every other time, his Uncle or Aunt would yell and drag him out if he didn't get up on time to cook them breakfast.

He finished off the late breakfast curtsy of Dudley and laid back on his bed. He waited for a few seconds before springing off of the bed.

 **Oh stuff it** , he thought.

He lent against the door and gingerly unscrewed the brackets that held the grill in. Removing the grill was the easy part, it was reach the lanyard that he always had trouble with. His arms were only just long enough to be able to reach it and even then it was a bit of a stretch.

Finally he had the lanyard. It was barely a second later that Harry heard the key in the lock of the door. He froze, his survival instincts abandoning him in his surprise. A holler from the front door made them kick back in.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

A steely grip caught his wrist just as he yanked it in. It held him there for a moment before his arm was yanked out. Not prepared for the sudden burst of strength Harry slammed into the door, his arm sticking all the way out. His glasses fell off of his face leaving him blind to what was coming. Vernon released his arm and Harry quickly drew his arm back in. He moved back away from the door and waited. It wasn't long before his Uncle wrenched the door open although it was considerably longer than usual because of all the fumbling he was doing in his anger.

From what he could see through his blurry vision, the open door revealed a purple faced man who look as if they were ready to murder someone. Harry stayed silent and waited, not wanting to provoke Vernon any more than he already had. Vernon continued glaring at Harry before moving away from the cupboard and headed for the front door.

Harry didn't move from where he was.

It was about a minute later than Vernon came back inside. He was carrying something heavy if the grunting was anything to guess by.

The huge blurry shape only just fit through the small doorway. Vernon had to crouch to fit in and once inside he couldn't even stand up. He placed the heavy thing on the end of Harry's bed and pulled the sheet off of it. Harry didn't take his blurry vision off Vernon.

From what he could see, Vernon looked like he was smirking which was a strange thing in itself.

A voice came from the hallway.

"Vernon dear, I don't think-" Petunia began. She was cut off.

"Shut up!" Vernon said venomously. "I'm done with this freak!" Petunia was wise enough to stay silent. Vernon left the cupboard, glaring back at Harry as he did so. He slammed the door behind him and bolted all three locks behind him.

Harry only bent down when he heard Vernon and Petunia leave the hallway and head into another part of the house. He heard no sign of Dudley.

He fumbled for his glasses on the floor being extra careful of his now throbbing hand. They were right next to his left foot.

He picked them up and checked them to see if they were broken, thankfully they weren't. If they had been he would been going around with broken glasses for a couple of years until his head got too big to fit in them anymore.

He gingerly placed his glasses back on his face and glanced over at what Vernon had placed in his cupboard.

It revealed a small snake curled up in a glass tank. The snake lifted its head and seemed to appraise him with intelligent eyes. Harry froze, not daring to move a muscle.

He quickly glanced at the glass tank it was in. For the size of the snake it was rather small tank barely big enough to hold it. Harry could help the twinge of pity he had for the creature. There was glass lid on top of the cage, but it didn't look study enough to hold the snake if it wanted to get out.

He dropped his eyes back down to the snake and waited.

It was the snake that make the first move.

'Hello,' it hissed.

To say Harry was surprised would be a bit of an understatement. He made a sound that sounded something like a cross between a squawk and a yelp. He jumped back forgetting for the moment that he was in a very small cupboard. The constricted space caused him to bash his head on the back wall. He fell forwards back onto the bed clutching his head as it throbbed painfully.

The snake watched him as he pressed his face against the mattress and moaning quietly in pain.

 _'Well that wasss sssstupid_ ,' it commented.

 _'It's not like I did it on purpose_ ,' Harry mumbled into the mattress. His headache was even worse now.

Harry lifted his head and looked curiously at the snake.

 _'How is it that you can talk?_ ' He asked.

The snake stared at him but didn't answer his question. _'Would you pleassse open this cassse?_ ' It asked.

He eyed the snake considering the possibility of it eating him. Which was slim, but still there.

 _'_ _Yeah okay_ ,' Harry conceded. He shuffled over to the end of the bed and carefully lifted the glass lid off. He gently placed it down the side of his bed, putting it out of the way. Harry settled himself down onto the head of the mattress, leaning against the wall.

 _'_ _I'm Harry_ ,' he said. There was a pause.

 _'The namessss Nagini,'_ the snake hissed. When Harry didn't say anything more the snake slithered itself out of the tank and onto his bed. Ignoring Harry it curled up into a tight ball and proceeded to fall asleep, or something similar anyway.

Harry let himself relax. It looked like the snake wasn't going to turn on him. He soon started to doze off.


	3. Ch3 - An unusual letter

_Hey peoples, sorry this chapter has been put up so late. I was on holiday and had no internet for a week! *cue horrified gasps*_

 _However this chapter has just over 2800 words (sad I know) so it is a little bit bigger than the others. I started off thinking that each chapter would be about 1500 words each and I honestly have no idea what happened. Hehehe anyway. Things are finally starting to get moving and there is a bit of action in this chapter and the next one coming up. I have also made a mistake. In the book Harry gets his letter on July 24 whereas I have said it was a lot earlier in the moment. Apologies and please ignore this error. I am terrible at keeping track of the timeline._

 ** _DragonEmperor999_**

 _Thankss very much and I saw what you did there. XD_

 ** _SilentAttendance_**

 _Not coincidence. I've changed it up a little bit in how Nagini is still young so she is small. Then there is how Vernon works at the zoo not Grunnings. You'll hear about that in the below chapter. I'm also not sure which species Nagini is. The one in the zoo was a boa constrictor while Nagini (from the film) is a type of viper. So I think I'm just going to ignore the viper bit and make Nagini a python. Following that, then she would be what Voldemort makes into a horcrux. However she is made into a horcrux in 1994 and the current year is 1991. So she is not yet a horcrux. Expect conflict later on to do with that. :)_

 _If there is any confusion about something just ask away. Enjoy~_

\- Tayla Jane _(who doesn't own Harry power to her misery)_

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were furious.

Or more accurately, it was Vernon Dursley who was furious. He had turned a colorful shade of purple and presently looked like he was about to explode in anger. Petunia Dursley however, was making high pitched squeaking noises that were gradually increasing in volume. Their attention was narrowed in on Harry Potter, their unwanted nephew.

Harry was currently seated on the living room couch. He had sat there exactly ten minutes ago and hadn't moved from the spot since. Normally this laziness would cause Harry to get a beating and punishments for weeks.

However there was once thing stopping Vernon from doing that. That thing being the small-ish snake draped around Harry's shoulders that hissed menacingly at him whenever he came near.

Harry had been enjoying the last few weeks. He had done minimal chores and he had not got one single beating. Although he hadn't been fed at all and had to resort to sneaking out at night just to get something to eat. Currently Vernon was hovering in the doorway while Petunia stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. Harry reckoned that there would be hell to pay eventually but right at that moment he couldn't care less.

Harry could see Dudley making eyes at him from behind his parents. Probably telling him that he shouldn't push it.

Harry eyed his fuming relatives before slowly getting to his feet being careful not to displace Nagini. She hissed at him, displeased but not angry.

His uncle and aunt backed away as Harry headed towards them. Petunia made a squeaking noise and Vernon seemed to go even more purple. Harry just ignored them and walked past.

He was almost at his cupboard when he heard the snick of mail being dropped through the letter opening of the door. He paused to gently place Nagini back into the cupboard and wedge the door shut behind her.

Nagini had stubbornly argued that she could take care of herself but Harry was careful all the same. He didn't want his Uncle to get any bright ideas about disposing of her and Nagini wasn't big enough yet to be able to strangle a fully grown male, let alone his uncle Vernon.

He headed towards the front door and picked up the letters with disinterest, same old same old. He flicked through them looking for anything important so he could burn it, or at least attempt to. Lately Vernon had been watching him like a hawk and Harry was beginning to get an uneasy feeling.

Halfway through his leafing, an unusual letter caught his eye. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment. The address was written in green ink.

 _Mr H. Potter_

 _The Cupboard under the Stairs_

 _4 Private Drive_

 _Little Winging_

 _Surrey_

Harry frowned. Who would be sending a letter to him? It's not like he had any friends, or any family apart from the horrible Dursley's.

Harry jumped slightly at the loud voice coming from the other end of the hallway.

"Oi boy!" Vernon said gruffly, "What the hell are you looking at?" The man's wide girth began to waddle his way over to Harry.

Harry made his decision in a split second. He shoved the unusual letter under his shirt and turned to face his Vernon.

"Nothing Uncle," Harry said smoothly hoping that the letter wasn't sticking out too much. He held out the other letters and widened his eyes in what he hoped was an innocent looking expression. Vernon wasn't fooled, but he couldn't see anything that was amiss so he dismissed it for now. He snatched the letters from Harry and leafed through then, checking for anything out of the ordinary. When he didn't find anything he huffed and turned back to the kitchen. Completely ignoring Harry.

A voice called from kitchen.

"Child! I want you cleaning this kitchen right now," Petunia said. "I'm sick of you not doing anything, if you want to eat today you will do work." Harry sighed but conceded. Although he could try he couldn't win everything. He headed back to the kitchen pausing at his cupboard door to pull out the letter and shove it through the doorway.

"Hide that!" Harry hissed at Nagini. She hissed back in affirmative although she sounded slight offended.

He walked into the kitchen ignoring the Dursley's and began his chores. He had a lot to get through that day. Petunia had put in special effort and the kitchen was filthy from breakfast time.

Harry was huddled in his cupboard with his thin blanket around him. Nagini was curled up behind him providing some warmth but he was still freezing. In his hand he held a lit candle, held aloft to avoid setting anything of fire. In front of him was the letter that he found that morning. He hadn't opened it yet, he hadn't the time during the day as Petunia had worked him until he was exhausted and would have kept going if Nagini hadn't slithered out and wrapped herself around Harry's neck.

He grabbed the letter and gently ripped it open being careful not to damage the contents inside. He upended it and a two sheets of parchment fell out folded so they would fit. He unfolded the first one and read the somewhat difficult-to-read writing. **Dammed cursive.**

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Harry blankly stared at the words before reading it again, and again.

After rereading it the fourth time it still didn't make any sense. The only things he could get out of it was that was somehow related to a school and the headmistress was someone called Minerva McGonagall. He didn't even get the sentence involving the owl.

"What do you even use an owl for, they're wild animals," Harry said to himself.

 _'_ _Let me sssee,'_ Nagini hissed from behind him. She uncurled exposing Harry's lower back to the freezing cold night air and he shivered. She slithered over his crossed leg and wrapped around his arm to get better height. He held the parchment in front of her and she flicked her forked tongue in and out, tasting the air.

' _Magic!_ ' she spat out. Harry was surprised by the vehemence in her voice.

 _'_ _Can you expand on that?'_ He asked hesitantly. Nagini stayed quiet for a moment before answering.

 _'_ _Thiss letter wasss written by one who performsss magic._ ' She said.

 _'_ _As in witch and wizard?'_

' _Yesss.'_

Harry paused disbelieving but continued anyway, what did he know. He was speaking to a talking snake after all.

 _'_ _Could you tell me what you know?'_ Harry asked Nagini.

Nagini was silent for a brief pause before answering.

 _'_ _I wasss raissed asss a hatching by a wizard. I wasss his toy!' She hissed 'Wizardss and witchess are a sssecretive bunch, they are completely ssseparated from the muggle world.'_

 _'_ _Muggle?_ ' Harry asked confused.

 _'_ _Their name for regular peoplesss without magicss,_ ' she said. _'_ I don't know anything elssse as I wasss….gotten rid of before I learnt much.'

Harry frowned, _'Why would they get rid of you? A talking snake would be incredibly useful.'_ Nagini raised her head and watched Harry intently.

 _'_ _Is that why you can talk? Because you were raised in a wizarding household?'_ Asked Harry. Nagini didn't say anything and seemed to be evaluating him.

' _No,_ ' she finally hissed. Harry wondered what the pause might mean.

They sat in silence, Harry sitting cross-legged on the small bed. Nagini was curled up in his lap, probably after his warmth. Not that there was much of it.

He re-read the letter again, committing the details to memory. He had a look over the second sheet, an equipment list that looked like something out of a movie with cauldrons and a mention of broomsticks. The date listed on the letter was the 31 of July, meaning his reply was supposed to be in a couple of weeks away.

He would just have to wait until the 31st of July and see what happened.

* * *

Harry was minding his own business when he heard the startled yell coming from the hallway. He barely paused to breathe before dashing out of the kitchen, his heart in his mouth. He came around the corner to see Nagini with her head under Vernon's pudgy foot. He was red faced and a bleeding wound stood out on his arm.

Harry saw red and everything dropped out of his mind.

He threw himself at Vernon and crashed into him before he could even register what was happening. It was a surprise as much to Harry as it was to Vernon when they were both sent tumbling, Vernon more than Harry because of his weight.

Harry rolled into a crouch without much difficulty. He stood and glared with absolute hate at Vernon. His uncle slowly got to his feet, his face unreadable but his neck turning purple.

"How dare you!" Harry spat. "SHE IS MINE."

Vernon's step backwards wasn't noticed by Harry.

"You will not touch her." He said in a deadly tone.

There was a pause.

"Or it will be the last thing you ever do." He threatened quietly.

The light bulb shattered above them, the falling glass shards narrowly missing Vernon's face as it fell. He jerked back, white as a sheet. The rest of the lights in the house flickered but Harry took no notice.

Harry leaned down and gently picked up Nagini who was not moving. He wrapped her around his neck and tucked her half into his shirt. He then turned his back on Vernon and walked out the door.

He didn't go back that night.

He couldn't afford to. One wrong word on his relatives part and he could potentially be left with a house, his cousin and two dead bodies.

* * *

When Harry Potter opened his eyes, something was decidedly off. It took him a few moments to realise that he had woken up absurdly early. Four O'clock is his battered watch was to be trusted. It helped that Harry knew exactly why, over the past few weeks he had hardly forgotten. The date was July 31st, the day he was supposed to reply to 'Hogwarts' by 'owl' or whatever that was.

However there were a few obstacles that prevented him from doing this. One being he did not have an owl or know how to contact them by owl.

The other reason being the Dursley's, not including Dudley who had placed two new and heavy-duty locks onto his cupboard door, bringing the total lock count up to five. They had also moved the lane-yard out of his reach making it _almost_ impossible for him to get out.

He would just have to wait out the day and see if anything happened.

He waited in the dark for the rest of the house to awaken. He couldn't get back to sleep, not with all the questions running through his mind.

 **What is Hogwarts?** He mulled it over **.** From the letter he could tell it was some sort of school, but there was no such thing as magic. As his Uncle and Aunt constantly told him. But then, he had Nagini, a talking snake with him. So he didn't know what to think. **Why have they sent a letter to me? What is going to happen today?** His curiosity burned inside of him.

He amused himself by talking with Nagini, who had woken up with Harry's small movements. She was only slightly larger than when he had first met her all those weeks ago but she still somehow managed to take up half of the bed. From her size Harry could guess that she wasn't very old. No doubt she would become quite large eventually but in the small constricted space of his cupboard Harry was quite glad that she was small.

It didn't help that he had no idea what species she was. It wasn't like he knew anything about snakes. For all he knew she could grow to be massive within the span of a year. Then there was the problem of feeding her. So far he had made do by sneaking food out from the kitchen and she occasionally caught a rat or mouse that had somehow gotten into his cupboard. He would have to find another way to feed her eventually.

It was hours later when the Durley's began to stir.

Dudley was the first to come downstairs. He hesitantly paused outside the cupboard and nervously glanced back upstairs. He lent in after a moment.

"Harry!" He hissed into the grill. "Harry are you awake?" Harry got up silently while avoiding the form of Nagini next to him and moved his mouth close to the grill.

"What?" He replied loudly to which Dudley started back, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. He stumbled backwards but regained his footing. Harry inwardly grinned at the stupid expression followed by annoyance on Dudley's face.

Dudley lent back in, his face wary, betraying him. He was obviously half expecting Harry to bellow at him the second time round.

"I heard Father talking to Mother about you last night," he whispered. "I don't think that you should test him today, he sounded quite mad."

Harry though back over the week. To his knowledge he hadn't pissed off Vernon any more than usual, but then Vernon could find fault in anything and everything Harry did. He was probably in trouble for breathing or something.

Although if he considered a couple of weeks before, there had been the incident with Vernon trying to kill Nagini and Harry losing it at him. But so far Vernon hadn't said a word about it, not even a brief mention.

"Got it," he whispered back taking care to keep his voice down.

…

…

…

"Thanks," he added after a lengthy pause. He could see Dudley's small smile at Harry's thanks. Harry showing any appreciation was a rarity.

He could also see the blood drain from Dudley's face leaving him a pasty white. Judging by the look on Dudley's face and the heaviness of the footsteps coming down the stairs, Harry guessed that it was Vernon Dursley who was the next to awaken in the dreadful household.

"Morning Dad!" blurted out Dudley. Even Vernon could hear the fake cheer in his voice but seemed to not care at that point in time.

"I was just telling Potter here he's just like his parents." He sneered and turned back to Harry.

"Filth!" He spat. Harry was impressed. The only hint to Dudley's acting was the slight twitching of his right eye. Which from the angle Vernon was on, it couldn't be seen anyway.

Vernon didn't react to the distasteful words than other to mutter to Dudley.

"That's right son," he said as he walked past slowly while rubbed his tired eyes with one hand.

"What's wrong dad?" Dudley asked in a slightly worried tone. He didn't have to act, Vernon looked awful. His eyes were sunken and he had huge purple bags under his eyes. He looked as if he had been up all night drinking, which could possibly be true.

"Just problems at work about that blasted snake," he muttered with a glance at the cupboard under the stairs. Dudley stayed silent as Vernon headed into the kitchen and shut the door behind him.

Dudley waited a moment then sighed in relief but continued to look worriedly at the kitchen door.

"That was a close one," he said. Harry agreed, however he believed that it was only a close one for Dudley. Whatever Harry did he would be in trouble. It was Dudley who would cop the most of it if Vernon found out that they were being friendly with each other or that they had made a pact to help each other out occasionally. Honestly Harry didn't really care if Dudley got caught. Then he would know what it felt like to be treated like filth, a waste of space.

It was a mutual friendship, build out of survival and Harry would break it in a moment if it would save his skin. He doubted that Dudley knew that and he wasn't going to tell him anytime soon either.

Dudley turned back to harry.

"Maybe you should give the sn-" He started.

"No." Harry cut off. His voice was cold when he spoke next. "Don't even mention it." Harry didn't know why he was acting like this. It's not like he cared anyway.

"Right, sorry." Dudley muttered, red creeping up his neck. "Sorry," he said again before following his father into the kitchen, saying nothing more to Harry. Harry scowled and lay back down.

If Vernon was mad at him for whatever reason then it was unlikely that he would be let out that day, once or twice to go to the toilet but that was it. Which meant he wouldn't even be able to check the mail if another letter came.

He sighed. It was going to be a long day.


	4. Ch4 - Confrontations

_I finally updated. Apologies for the wait. Warning ahead that the next few updates will be slow as in the next couple of weeks I am busy studying for exams. :(_

 _Leave a review if you need anything explained._

 _Thanks to CaseLC and SilentAttendance for the reviews. They gave a few good ideas for the plot later on. XD_

 _Enjoy~_

\- Tayla Jane

* * *

Harry jolted awake, quickly forgetting the faint whispers of forest and darkness from his dream. He quickly sat up from his awkwardly curled position on the small bed. He blinked blearily at the back wall of his cupboard for a few long moments before gaining his bearings.

His eyes widened and he quickly glanced around himself. Spotting Nagini curled up on his pillow he relaxed before frowning. His racing heart gradually slowed down.

 **Damn, I must have fallen asleep.**

He fixed his skewed glasses back onto his face before holding his battered watch up to his face. He squinted at it, straining to see in the darkness. It was almost 12, meaning he had slept through dinner and most of the night.

A loud banging coming from outside the front door startled Harry. Enough that he jumped and woke Nagini. She was not pleased as she hissed at him, her forked tongue flicking in and out. He glanced at her intending to apologize but another series of loud bangs from the door distracted him.

"WHO THE HELL IS MAKING THAT BLOODY RACKET!?" A loud shout came from upstairs. Harry winced. Whoever was at their door at this ungodly hour, was in for one hell of a surprise. Vernon was irritable for the most part. Being woken in the middle of the night was something even Harry would not dare to do. Harry has found that the Dursley's, even Dudley were not morning people and definitely not middle of the night people. As Harry has discovered once when sneaking out.

The loud banging continued, with a few second break after each round.

Harry wished them luck.

Heavy footsteps came thumping down the stairs not moments later. They were followed by a second lighter pair who was Dudley and then finally timid footsteps that belonged to Petunia. The two second sets of footsteps stopped at the foot of the stairs while Vernon's stomped directly to the front door. Harry could hear the walls of the house rattle with the force of the door being thrown open.

"Who the hell are you and what do you fucking want?!" Vernon growled out at the apparent stranger. There was a pause in which Harry guessed the stranger was starting to regret their choice of timing.

Instead the voice that replied was cool and seemed to be filled with malice. Harry pressed his ear against the grill to hear the conversation better. This was one argument he did not want to miss.

"I am here to speak with a… _Harry Potter_ ," He said stiffly. The stranger seemed to spit out his name as if it were something disgusting.

"WHAT?" Vernon spat out venomously. There was a pause.

"A… _Harry…..…Potter,"_ the stranger said again this time sounding as if he was talking to a rather stupid child. Vernon spluttered for a moment before he recovered.

"There is no Harry Potter here you freak!" He forced out at the stranger. There was another long pause in which Petunia shrieked. The bird-like noise was followed by a loud thump and a curse.

"HEY WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Vernon all but screamed at the unknown man who had seemingly shoved past him.

"Where is he?" The stranger demanded. Vernon didn't answer except to splutter obscenities about having the man arrested.

Harry paused considering the options. One, he could stay quiet and face the wrath of his uncle the following day or two, he could reveal himself and face the fury of his uncle then and there. He was quick to choose.

"I'm in the cupboard." He said sounding confident despite his unsettled nerves. There was a sudden silence.

"WHY YOU LITTL-," Vernon started but was cut off.

 _"_ _Silencio,"_ the stranger stated. His odd statement was followed by absolute silence from Vernon and a muffled shriek from Petunia. A gasp was heard from Dudley.

Footsteps sounded just outside his cupboard door startling Harry. He sat back quickly and composed himself, ready to meet the stranger who had somehow shut Vernon up.

 _"_ _Alohomora,"_ the man said.

All of a sudden there were five loud clicks. There was another pause before Harry's cupboard door swung open. The now open door revealed a tall man dressed in what looked like old-fashioned black robes. He had a hooked nose and greasy looking black hair that fell to his shoulders. A sneer covered his face as he spied Harry calmly sitting on his bed but it soon faltered into a tight frown when he viewed his surroundings. He turned back to Harry's relatives.

"Move along muggles" the man sneered at them. Vernon turned purple but didn't say anything despite his mouth flapping open like a fish out of water. Petunia was pale-faced with her lips pressed tightly together. Dudley just looked confused, although the back of his neck was starting to turn pink.

Nobody moved. The strangers scowl turned into a glare and he roughly pulled what looked like a wooden stick out of his robes. He pointed it at the Dursley's and repeated himself.

"Did you not hear me clearly enough you filth," he said. "Leave."

Petunia was the first to act. She reached out and grabbed Dudley by the arm. She then stiffly walked through the door to the kitchen walking past the stranger and Harry in the process while dragging Dudley behind her. Dudley didn't resist, he had no idea what was going on. Vernon wasn't far behind although he hesitated in the kitchen doorway, turning to glare daggers at the stranger before closing the door behind him.

The stranger turned back to Harry and eyed him. Neither of them said a word, waiting for the other to speak first. Harry won.

"Harry Potter I presume?" He said.

"Yes." Harry replied shortly. "Who are you?"

The stranger was silent for a long moment before replying. "I am Professor Snape, the Potions Master at Hogwarts." Harry waited for him to elaborate but he didn't say anything more.

"What is Hogwarts and why are you here?" Harry asked impatiently.

The Professor stared at him, somewhat surprised at his abrupt tone. His reply was spoken stiffly.

"Hogwarts is a school for witches and wizards to learn from the age of 11."

"But why are you here?" Harry repeated again.

The Professor scowled at him. "You did not reply to the Hogwarts acceptance letter, I am here to find out why."

Harry just stared at him. "Are you lot stupid?" He said in a slightly raised voice. "How the hell was I supposed to reply? I don't own an owl and I don't know how to reply, let along know if it was a joke or something!" He finished.

Professor Snape stared flabbergasted at the 10 year old child who was lecturing the grown man. His features twisted into a deep frown. He appraised Harry, looking as he was trying to decide between two unpleasant options.

"It was not…. well thought out." He started slowly biting off the words as if they were something bitter.

"Yeah…..no kidding," Harry snorted rolling his eyes at the Professor. "Would you be so kind as to explain the letter?"

The Professor sighed exasperated as if he was talking to a small child, which he was despite the seriousness of the conversation. He started again.

"Didn't your…...relatives," he sneered the word. "Tell you anything about Magical Britain?"

"Of course not," he said. "I don't even believe magic exists."

Professor Snape eyed him before pulling out the same wooden stick from before. He waved it in the air with a circular flourish.

 _"_ _Orchideous."_

Following the incantation, a small bunch of flowers burst from the tip. Pure white lilies that glowed faintly. Harry was struck speechless.

 ** _Magic._**

When the Professor noticed what he had produced a pained look came over his face. He quickly ended the spell and vaporized the flowers in an instant. Harry felt disappointed but his features settled back into a blank page. He couldn't help the excitement that was building up inside him.

"Tell me everything." Harry demanded quickly, not wanting the Professor to fall back into silence.

Professor seemed to compose himself before directing his attention back to Harry. There was hate in his eyes as he looked upon the boy but Harry had no idea what he had done wrong. Similarly to most of his arguments with Vernon.

"Go to the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Road, London. There ask the barkeep, Tom, to show you how to get to Diagon Alley. That is where you can buy all your equipment for the year using money from Gringotts, the wizarding bank." Snape said stiffly. "I suggest that you collect your equipment the previous day to avoid you being…...late... for the train."

"Train?" Harry asked confused. **When the hell did the letter mention a train?**

Professor Snape seemed to minutely roll his eyes although Harry couldn't be sure in the low light. He glanced around Harry's small cupboard and the hate diminished somewhat. He started as he spotted Nagini who was curled around Harry's left arm and eyeing the Professor intently.

The Professor quickly focused back on Harry. "The train to Hogwarts leaves Kings Cross Station Platform 9 ¾ at 11 O'clock sharp on September 1st. Kings Cross Station is in-"

"Yes I know that," Harry said impatiently waiting for the professor to tell him how the hell to get to Platform 9 ¾ as there was no such thing.

Professor Snape curled his lip at the interruption, the hate returned. He waited until Harry had finished then continued.

"Then that's all." He finished sharply with flames in his eyes.

With a sweep of his robes he turned and made his way out of the front door. Not even glancing back at the even more confused Harry.

Harry continued to watch the doorway expecting the Professor to come back so it was a few long moments before he realized that the Potions teacher really had left. It was silent outside so Harry guessed that the Professor had walked off but Harry didn't want to take the chance of running after him.

Not when all hell was about to break loose.

Not a moment later Dudley Dursley stuck his head around the door. He glanced down the hallway and then at Harry who had moved to stand stock still just outside his cupboard.

He turned back and whispered to his parents. "It's all clear." He cautiously pushed the door open and took one step forward. He did not take another as he was suddenly grabbed from behind and yanked back by his furious mother. Petunia was livid. She started forward and raised a threatening finger at Harry who unconsciously took a step backwards into his cupboard.

"YOU ARE A FREAK AND DO NOT BELONG HERE!" Petunia screamed at him. Harry had never seen her this angry. Vernon was usually the one who burst out but instead he was gaping like a fish and not a sound was coming from his open mouth.

Harry recalled the spell that the Professor had used on him.

 **Silencio. That will be useful.**

"GET IN THERE AND YOU WILL NOT BE COMING OUT!" Petunia continued screaming at him while motioning to his cupboard.

Harry did as he was told. Even a pissed off snake would not help him then. Petunia slammed the door in his face as soon as he was inside. He could hear her quickly closing all the locks and hiding away the lane-yard in some part of her clothing.

He listened to the hushed one-sided conversation outside of his cupboard.

"Vernon dear," said Petunia. "Let's head upstairs so we can sort this out." She then spoke stiffly to Dudley. "Dudley, go to bed NOW."

"But…!" Petunia cut him off.

"I SAID NOW!" She said raising her voice.

Dudley grumbled but complied, trundling upstairs slowly. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley followed soon after. Harry waited before relaxing. Looks like he was out of danger for now.

Neither Harry nor Nagini noticed the muffled crack that echoed in the quiet night. He barely heard the quiet footsteps coming back downstairs so when Dudley knocked softly on the front of the grill he only just managed to stop himself from swearing at him.

"Dudley!" he said. "Don't do that!"

Dudley looked abashed. "Sorry," he muttered. He hesitated, deliberation in his eyes. "Look Harry, I just heard Mother talking about putting you in the boot of the car and driving somewhere. I…though- that maybe you should have some warning…"

Harry started. **In the boot of the car….oh hell no.**

He pressed his lips together tightly and scowled at the floor. "Thanks…Duds."

Dudley grinned despite the seriousness of the conversation. His smile faltered however when Harry did not answer.

"Harry what are you going to do?" He asked.

Harry glanced up at the worried expression on Dudley's face.

"Probably something really stupid," he admitted. "But then….I'm going to do it anyway."

He sighed and gazed at the floor. Sure his idea was pretty stupid, but it would work. Not to mention it would free him of the Dursley's at least for a time.

He turned and readied his gear, not that he had much to organize. Just the clothes on his back and the occasionally belonging. And Nagini of course. He tucked her into his collar and she wrapped herself loosely around his neck. He then pulled on his only hoodie, hiding her from prying eyes. He reached his arm up to the rafters and snatched the tool he had hidden there over two years before for emergencies.

It was just a rusty screwdriver. But even the most simple of tool could become a weapon if used right. He put the end of the screwdriver between the bracket and the door that it was holding up. He hesitated for a moment and spoke to Dudley.

"You might want to move out of the way, just in case."

Dudley hurriedly moved slightly to the side, still having no idea what his cousin was doing. Harry put all of his weight into his arms and yanked with all his might. There was a responding loud _CRACK_ as the door came free of its hinges. He repeated the process with the hinges down lower making the door come completely free and in the process nearly hitting Dudley in the face who hadn't moved to the side enough. Harry had weakened the hinges in preparation for this. It wouldn't do for him to get him hopes up about getting out and then the door wouldn't budge. The technique he was using then, literally taking the door away, was a last resort. After all the Dursley's would notice if the door was suddenly off its hinges come morning.

The door hit the floor with a rather loud thump that made Harry cringe.

 **…**

 **So much for a silent getaway.**

He lightly jumped over the flat door ignoring the dumbstruck look on Dudley's face. He walked to the front door with an even pace. Although it was faster that his usual as he didn't want to be caught by the Dursley's, who would have no doubt heard the loud thump.

Dudley followed behind him and nearly ran into the back of him when Harry suddenly stopped in the doorway. Harry skewed grin made shivers go down Dudley's spine.

"See you round Duds." Harry said. He turned and walked out the doorway and down the Dursley's front lawn onto the road. Dudley called out behind him.

"Are you coming back Harry?" He asked timidly.

Harry shrugged. "Probably," he said. He turned not saying another word and walked off down the street.

The chillness of the air was refreshing as was the thought that he was free of the Dursley's. However possibly temporarily. His grin widened until it hurt his face. Nagini's only reaction to the whole escape was to tighten her coils around Harry's neck in response to the cold night air.

Harry spent some time walking, although he could not tell how long it was or tell the time as his watch didn't have the function of glowing in the dark. He eventually reached a train station, very cold and with his stomach rumbling. Nagini was also half strangling him in an attempt to leech as much warmth off of him as possible. He eyed the brightly coloured fast food restaurant that had made a stand in the modern looking station. But disregarded it for the moment, he didn't have any money and they weren't going to feed anyone for free, even a homeless looking child.

There was also the problem of how he was going to acquire money for the train. He was exhausted and needed to rest but he could not afford to. He glanced at the clock that was situated in the middle of the station. The time read 4:07. That meant he had 23 minutes until the next train. Plenty of time to get into trouble.

His attention was drawn to a bunch of very drunk adults who were making their way down some stairs. Harry watched them stumble and half fall down the stairs. He made an effort not to steal but in this situation, it's not like he had much of a choice. It was either steal or have nothing. In the end he didn't have to make the decision. The middle aged man who was lagging at the back and walking with a slightly limp in his step stumbled again and something fell out his pocket. Harry's eyes were drawn to it and he leaned forward when he realized that it was the man's wallet.

Harry took the opportunity. He walked forward slowly hunching his shoulders to seem smaller. He passed the drunk people with no incident and managed to grab the wallet with his hands only fumbling for a moment. He quickly increased his pace and ducked around the corner wanting to get out of sight before someone noticed that he had done anything. He stumbled slightly in his too large clothing and cursed the Dursley's for the horrible hand-me-downs. He finally stopped at one of the benches out of sight and sat down.

He opened up the wallet and had a look at the contents. There were a few different assorted cards that had no meaning at all to Harry as well as a drivers ID card that identified the drunk man as a 'John Walker.'

 **Much appreciated Johnny** , thought Harry.

The wallet also contained a total of 60 pounds. More than enough for Harry to buy an early breakfast and a train ticket.

He headed over to the fast food restaurant. He managed to buy a burger and fries without any incidents apart from the register user glaring at him from behind the counter. Harry ignored him, he was used to the looks of disgust.

He settled down and ate quietly avoiding the drunken singing of the other group. Not that they noticed him anyway. They were too busy trying to find the drunken guy who was lagging behind. He had somehow managed to wander off.

The train arrived at exactly 4:30. Harry paid for his ticket and got on, the drunk fools following after him with their, now found drunk friend. He sat the furthest point from everyone else in the carriage and huddled into himself on the cracked plastic seat. He avoided the gazes of the dodgy looking adults who had previously been on the train and whose eyes were glazing over him like he was something to eat. He had a fair few stops ahead of him before he would be anywhere Kings Cross Station and he couldn't afford to attract any unwanted attention.


End file.
